Ex-army chief backs General Singh in row over date of birth

Lending support: Former army chief General Shankar Roychowdhury (pictured) is backing the current Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh

Former army chief General Shankar Roychowdhury has come out in support of present Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh, who has dragged the Government to the Supreme Court over his date of birth row, saying Singh was justified in doing so.

'I think so. Gen. V.K. Singh is a very honourable man. The army rests on the basis of honour and integrity... I don't think he will compromise on honour unless he was driven to it,' he said when asked if the army chief was forced to go to the Supreme Court on the age issue.

Asked if the army chief was justified in approaching the court on the issue, Roychowdhury said, 'Yes, of course, he can. Should he have gone to court, that is an issue which has to be judged on the basis of overall events. It must be examined whether the chief was placed in a position by events in the background and how long they have been going around... Can a chief be placed in a certain position by the turn of events, the rulings of the defence ministry where he has no option but to go to court,' he said speaking to Karan Thapar in Devil's Advocate.